attic fan question
ok i am going to install a whole house attic fan next week, and i hear conflicting stories on noise and performance, basically belt driven vs. direct drive, so whats your take on it?
thanks
thanks
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Quite honestly I am not a big fan (so to speak) of powered attic fans. Even the smaller units can move a couple of thousand CFM of air and this can create a low pressure zone inside your attic which results in the drawing of cool air from your living space in order to equalize it. If you happen to be running your AC along with the attic fan you will just be drawing expensive cold air from your living space up into your attic where is will be exhaused into the atmosphere. I would prefer two or more passive (non powered attic vents) over a powered vent system...but then I'm just an idiot engineer! 0 -
I think they are a great idea. They really cool off the house without the cost of running the A/C. I don't find the noise to be a problem. 0 -
there's gotta be a waco joke in there somewhere. 0 -
You can set your attic fan up with a thermostat. It only kick's on when it has reached your designated set point. 0 -
And also solar powered, no extra wireing[:D] 0 -
If it's a true Whole house fan, it must be able to move large amounts of air out of the attic. Most modern homes are not built with enough free ventalation area to accomodate this air movement. A whole house fan is usually mounted in the ceiling of the uppermost level, drawing air from the house to the attic and then to the outside. the difference in air pressure is what cools the house. Make sure your attic can handle the air flow.
If you're talking about a smaller fan (2 sq. ft.) that is usually roof mounted to aid in cooling the attic...never mind.0 -
i'd say don't get one. go with a nice attic power vent and put an efficient cooling system in. I know they are COSTLY but home depot will finance a trane system or most a/c companies will. If you don't have an existing a/c system go with a high seer like an XL16 or XL18 if you do then go 13 seer. If you live in a moderate climate then go with a Heat Pump, usually an extra $300.00 Stay away from RUUD/Rheem. 0 -
nope i am referring to the whole house attic fan that has louvers in the hall that sucks air through the whole house, and i have more than adequate vents in the attic {about 8 square feet}, i have had houses in the past that had them, and i think they are worth their weight in gold when it comes to cooling, it prolongs the time before the ac is needed, and with our current rate hike i think it will pay for itself in two months, but those where when i rented, and i do not have any ideal if they where belt or direct drive, noise is a big issue since i am a very light sleeper 0 -
quote:Originally posted by kristov
Quite honestly I am not a big fan (so to speak) of powered attic fans. Even the smaller units can move a couple of thousand CFM of air and this can create a low pressure zone inside your attic which results in the drawing of cool air from your living space in order to equalize it. If you happen to be running your AC along with the attic fan you will just be drawing expensive cold air from your living space up into your attic where is will be exhaused into the atmosphere. I would prefer two or more passive (non powered attic vents) over a powered vent system...but then I'm just an idiot engineer!
After reading your reply, I guess it is true what I hear about engineers.[:D]J.K.!!
I agree with ripley.
Also, I have never seen a direct drive attic fan in my 25 yrs. in the hvac field. Not saying they don't make them.0 -
Trust me, the guys here who have called me an idiot, an a-hole and worse did not even bother adding the little happy face! 0 -
i've had 2-3 customers that had us disconnect them and put in a cooling system. Last year my dad put in an 18 seer system and his bill dropped dramatically, he had a sh-- eatin grin on his face when he showed me his $26.00 bill. Of course he is single and had duct sized out to his system. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by renneck
i'd say don't get one. go with a nice attic power vent and put an efficient cooling system in. I know they are COSTLY but home depot will finance a trane system or most a/c companies will. If you don't have an existing a/c system go with a high seer like an XL16 or XL18 if you do then go 13 seer. If you live in a moderate climate then go with a Heat Pump, usually an extra $300.00 Stay away from RUUD/Rheem.
Even the highest seer rated unit will consume more energy than an attic fan in a moderate climate.
The only advantage your idea would have is, humidity control.0 -
Yes, but humidity is what causes you to sweat you buttsky off! I hate humid days, yuk[:(] 0 -
I just installed a direct drive fan in my house last year,,I went this way because I did not need to run wiring for a switch,it has a chain pull on/off and 2 speed motor,,it moves alot of air .it is a little on the noisy side on high but it works well enough on low that we have not needed to run it on high,,,I have had belt driven fans before,,less noise but then you have to wire an on/off switch for the motor and I dont believe they move as much air for the same size fan,,, 0 -
i guess i should have known better to ask, hell i don't know
it is hard to find one now that is belt driven, almost all of them available commercially are direct drive now, and i don't know what to tell anyone that would think for a second that the most efficient cooling system in the world would be cheaper than a fan, i swear by them if used correctly {key word, correctly}, i currently have a high efficient cooling system, but even them my bill will be a few hundred dollars vs. under 100
here i found a good read on the subject
http://www.atticfans.com/0 -
Hey, sorry bud, but you never said Anything in your first post about saving money. you just said a bit on the fan. I never suggested that it was cheaper to run than a fan. I meant it would cool better and ain't that bad compared to an old system. Plus the old man bought an 18 seer with dual compressor, i doubt you have that. Not being rude just defending myself here. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by renneck
Yes, but humidity is what causes you to sweat you buttsky off! I hate humid days, yuk[:(]
I hear ya!
Humidity is a major problem here in ST. Lou. Attic fans are great for the educated user. I have customers that like to turn off the ac after a storm and the temp. drops a little, and open up the windows and turn on the attic fan.Of course after running the fan for a while, their house has absorbed ever ounce of moisture it can, then the comfort level drops and then go back to the ac. Then at 10pm they call me to say their ac is not working.[:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
ok i am going to install a whole house attic fan next week, and i hear conflicting stories on noise and performance, basically belt driven vs. direct drive, so whats your take on it?
thanks
See, just givin my take, that's all.[:)]0 -
I have bought, installed, and used both belt driven and direct drive. The belt driven is my choice. Very low maintenence after initial adjustment of belt. However the louvers are cheap plastic bearing surface and tend to snap. Easy to convert to metal using a common nail.
Noise is not that much of a problem as it is a harmonic of 60 cycles and tends to lull one to sleep. The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Mine is 1200 CFM on high. I installed two turbines on the roof and with the vents, allow plenty of exit air from the attic. In the house, I always maintain an open 3X4 foot total inlet for fresh air.
The switch that came with the unit was a simple three position toggle. I avoided running extra wiring by installing it right next to the louvers in the ceiling. I use a hammer handle to reach the switch and this system works good.
Besides cutting A/C use by 50%, it keeps the attic cool and prolongs the life of the roof.
I have also found the direct drive units tend to burn out before belt driven units.0 -
Had a thermostatically controlled, belt driven one when I lived in Sacramento - very dry climate. Worked well and saved electricity. I like the idea of solar powered, if you get enough sun.
By the way, what is a "seer"??
Doug
* edited to correct spelling0 -
I had a belt driven house fan and loved it in my old house. It was a 1 level ranch style, pretty open layout, so it worked well. Pretty quiet too. Didn;t use it in the late summer, just spring and early summer. Crack all windows about 2 inches and turn it on...the breeze is amazing!!! 0 -
I have one in my house, right at the top of the stairs on the highest floor. It is hellaciously loud, at start, but sort of settles to a dull roar. If I turn it on full blast and open the door to the stairs down to the basement and the windows in the basement, the temperature all through the house will drop about 10 degrees in about as many minutes. It is truly remarkable.
That said, it only works well about three months out of the year, when it gets up to about 75-80 during the day, and then down to 60 at night. During those periods the fan is a great way to cool off the house.
However, both my wife and I have sinus and allergy problems, and we keep the windows shut and run the AC. Costs about $70 extra a month, but not waking up with a splitting headache every #@($*@ morning is worth it.0 -
They are great. My parents use the AC rarely, the attic fan keeps the house nice and cool during most of the summer.
Why would anyone use an attic fan and AC at the same time?0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
Had a thermostatically controlled, belt driven one when I lived in Sacramento - very dry climate. Worked well and saved electricity. I like the idea of solar powered, if you get enough sun.
By the way, what is a "seer"??
Doug
* edited to correct spelling
SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The higher the SEER, the less electricity the unit uses when operating. All SEER units of the same cooling capacity (size, measured in tons or BTUs) produce the same amount of cooling, but the higher SEER models save you more money on your electrical utility bills.0 -
We don't have an attic fan, however we have a range hood that has 10" duct to the attic than out through the gable. The fan is rated at 1250cfm. The motor is direct drive. The motor speed is variable and anything over 50% will not only clear the kitchen but also cause doors to slam and if there's a fire in the fireplace, get ready for the smoke alarms to engage.
I'd say a similar sized fan would vacate the hot air in the attic in short order.0 -
There are two types. The first type exhausts air from the attic and fresh air is drawn in through the attic vents. Coupled with sufficient insulation these work great all day long and do not draw air from inside the house.
The second type mounts in the upstairs ceiling and draws air from inside the house and pushes it out through the attic vents. These are really useful only if you live in an area where the evening and nighttime temperature drops significantly so that you can open the windows and draw in the cool outside air and push the hot air out of the attic. This type is of little use on a hot day, you'll just pull hot air into the house.0 -
All they do is super charge the air coming thru with all the dust,just check your screens. If you have anyone in the house with allergies they just create more problem with all the dirt and dust coming in at super charged speed. I covered mine up. 0 -
Two things I would like to point out.
First, a whole house fan works on the theory of reduced air pressure equals cooler air. In order to work properly you need to limit the amount of air intake opening. In other words, opening your windows too much actually defeats the purpose. The same principle your A.C. unit runs on, high and low pressure fluids.
Second, noise from a properly installed fan, especially the "roaring" type sound is usually caused by back pressure in the attic due to there being too little area open for escaping air. This is why ventalation space is so important. Ridge vent, or the modern 2 square foot gable vents, turbans and such just don't cut it. 1911a1fan said he had eight square feet, which is good, but probably on the low end of the efficiency scale.0 -
I dont know about you guys but all any of mine have ever done is to pull inside the cool air from outside ,,my house is so well insulated it will not cool off inside "i even have triple pane windows" ,it just holds the heat in,,open the windows,turn on the fan and it will drop it to the outside temp in a matter of minutes plus you now have a nice breeze going through the house,,,yes it will pull in a little dust and pollen but this does not bother me,,,I have celing fans in every room and I will not have to run the cooling unit until it gets too hot outside,,to me this is in the high 70's, and then when it cools off at night I can turn it off,,,my house is 2200 sq ft,,my light bill runs $140 a month year around,this is with 4 tv's "wife has to have one going in every room" and 3 deep freezers running all the time... 0
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